Disclaimer:

AN

Derek woke early. Beside him lay Penelope, her hair rumpled and her breathing soft. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her. He refrained from doing it. If he did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop. Last night was one of the best he'd had in a long time. Removing his eyes from the slumbering Penelope, he stared upward at the ceiling and studied the plain cream-colored wall. He sighed.

What was he doing? Penelope had a boyfriend, and one who apparently rivaled Derek in handsomeness and built. She thought Derek was nothing but a kid in an adult's body. Even if he asked her to get back with him she would say no. Nothing would convince her otherwise. She may have said one thing last night, but he knew she had just been caught up in the moment. He knew her well enough to know what she was really thinking. And he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with that.

Before he could get lost more into the depths of his mind, he slid soundlessly from his crisp white sheets. He didn't want to disturb her. Rubbing his eyes to wake himself, he began crafting a response for why Penelope was sleeping in his room for Damaris. She wouldn't be up yet. Weekends were her time to sleep in, and he didn't think she would see him coming out of his room.

He left his room, fully dressed, pressing the door shut behind him as quiet as possible. He made sure to eliminate the click of the door to make sure every one in the apartment remained oblivious to him moving around. The last thing he needed was his daughter waking up to find him casually slipping from the room where Penelope and he had spent the previous night together.

Thankfully, when he walked out of the hall and into his open living room, Damaris was still sound asleep on the couch. Demona, the husky puppy who had been the birthday present, yawned as she heard Derek's soft steps enter the room. She moved away from Damaris, jumping down with a pant and licked at Derek's pants in greeting. He leaned down and ruffled her ears.

"Morning, pup," he muttered, rubbing his eyes again. "Coffee time until the girls wake up."

The puppy followed after him, dancing around his feet so he had to sidestep her to keep from tripping. As he started to brew coffee, he stared at the drip of the liquid. All the while, he pondered the night before. He stood perfectly still, save for his fingers thrumming against the countertop. His skin burned with the memory of Penelope's fingers splayed across his chest. He closed his eyes and remembered her atop him.

His mouth grew dry. God, he wanted her bare skin against his again. Penelope Garcia would always be a weakness for him, and nevermore than when they were intimate. Everything they did together was magic, he'd told her that many times throughout their lives. Several times in his life he thought what might happen if they got back together. He thought what could happen for him if he settled down and lived a fulfilling life with his daughter and her mother. He loved those thoughts, relishing in the feeling of being complete and part of a family that loved him. But then reality would come crashing down. He was a risk-taking FBI agent who was constantly putting his life on the line. Penelope would never want that in someone. She loved him, but as a friend. She wanted someone stable, and Derek was the farthest thing from that. His love for his job wouldn't let him give her what she wanted.

"Dad?"

Clearing his throat, Derek looked up from staring at the quickly filling coffee pot to find Damaris rubbing her eyes. Demona gave a happy yelp, rushing over to her girl to greet her girl. Damaris' eyes lit up as she leaned down to pick her dog up and snuggle into her fur.

"Morning, Baby Doll," Derek murmured, pulling two mugs out of the cupboard. He offered her one of the mugs, which led her to set Demona back on the floor so she could accept it. "Sleep well?"

She nodded, yawning. "Yeah. Sorry I fell asleep on your couch. Totally didn't mean to. Did Mom go home?"

He shook his head. "Nah," he said. "She, uh, she crashed in my room last night. I slept in your room so that she could have the bigger bed. Hope you don't mind."

Damaris shrugged. "Your house," she said, pushing around him to take the coffeepot. "Your rules."

Derek laughed, ruffling her messy hair. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. He was glad it was just the two of them right now. Now, this moment with just him and his daughter, was quiet. It gave him a break before Penelope emerged and he would have to face his conflicting feelings.

He began to regret that thought, though, when he was met with a scrutinizing glance from Damaris. She pursed her lips, studying his face. "What's up with you?" she asked, sipping her coffee. She leaned against the counter and blew on the coffee, all the while keeping her eyes on Derek.

Shuffling his feet, Derek cleared his throat. "Uh…" He paused. "Not sure what you're talking about." He looked away. He didn't want to deal with Damaris now, not as he grappled with the events from the night before.

"Good morning!"

Jumping in surprise, Derek's eyes went wide as he turned to find Penelope entering the kitchen. She was fully dressed, back in her clothes from yesterday and a bounce in her step. She placed a kiss on Damaris' head and leaned down to pet the dog. When she looked back up, her eyes found Derek's. A fresh blush lit up her face, like a morning sunrise peeking from behind the horizon.

Derek wanted to reach over, take her in her arms, and kiss her good morning. Every inch of him burned to do so.

He resisted.

Clearing his throat, he broke her gaze and turned to the coffeepot. He poured three mugs for each of them. His fingers brushed Penelope's as he handed her the mug. The tips of his fingers burned, but he avoided her gaze.

But when he looked up on accident and met her eyes, he couldn't look away. Her brandy-colored eyes were lit up, even though coffee had not yet touched her lips. She smiled. He swallowed hard and suppressed his own smile. The air felt muggy, like he was wading through a swamp of tension. As he stared at her, her smile began to droop.

"Umm, so what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Penelope asked, accepting the coffee and taking a sip. It was Derek's day to spend with Damaris, and she sounded curious.

Damaris perked up. "Well, now that we have this baby," she said, picking up Demona to cuddle her, "I was thinking we could go to the park and just spend the day with her. We could get some takeout and have, like, a picnic." She turned to Penelope and grinned. "I was kind of hoping we could all go together. You down?"

Derek shoulders tensed. He wanted her to come, but he also knew that if she did he would not be able to handle the emotional weight of her presence.

Derek Morgan could handle anything in this world. But aside from his daughter, Penelope was his greatest weakness. And she had the ability to bring him to his knees.

Penelope was silent for a long moment, but finally said, "Actually, I have a bit of house work to do. I probably won't go because of that."

He stole a quick glance at her and noticed her face had gone pale. She had gone into hiding behind her coffee cup.

"Aww, that's okay," Damaris said, kissing the top of the puppy's head.

Derek nodded and forced a wide smile. He crossed the kitchen to start retrieving pans. "Let me cook my gi– " Abruptly he stopped himself. After his night with Penelope, and knowing that he would never truly have her as his own, he didn't think he could bring himself to call her his girl. He tried again. "Let me cook you both some breakfast before we get going."

"Sounds great!" Damaris said, happily oblivious to the tension in the room. She cooed to her dog, happily letting the puppy lick her cheeks. Derek looked at his daughter to try and escape the tension between he and Penelope.

"Yeah," Penelope said in a small voice. "That sounds good."

Derek kept his eyes glued away from her, repressing every single desire his muscles screamed for.

XXXXX

Penelope closed the door behind her as she entered her apartment. She looked around the apartment, still as a hot summer evening without Damaris there. The silence suffocated her, as if she were breathing thick smoke and not clean air. Her throat constricted and she wrapped her arms around herself. Her phone pinged with a text from Jason, but she ignored it.

Fingering her shirt, she inhaled deeply. She still smelled of her tryst with Derek. His scent was musky, as if his hunger for her still lingered in the cotton fabric. When she closed her eyes she saw him, felt his hands branded into her skin. His touch had been gentle, like he was holding back a desire for her. His kisses remained on her skin. Just like when they were younger, they'd made magic together.

That morning, waking up in his bed in a tangle of sheets, had been a shock. But she'd smiled. She wished Derek were beside her so she could smile with him. She found herself confused by what had come over her, but she felt so good waking up that she was willing to set aside sifting through those emotions to stay that way. She hoped he felt the same way.

But when she found him in the kitchen his reaction had been anything but what she felt. Derek had refused to look at her. He'd refused to look at her through breakfast, or even when she had left is apartment.

He thought of last night as a mistake, even when the words hadn't left his lips.

With her tight throat, Penelope sat on the couch. She rubbed her knees. Her eyes burned, but she suppressed her tears.

Serves me right for how it's been since he got here…how I've been since he got here.

Penelope thought of what it might be like if she fought for that feeling. She could still taste that feeling on the tip of her tongue, still feel the tingle of it in her toes. But his refusal to look at her and the effect it could have on Damaris to see her parents reunite, and possibly break up, told her it was impossible. If Derek didn't want her, she wasn't going to push it. No beautiful feeling of waking up happy in his bed was enough to make her jeopardize her daughter's life.

And sacrificing that feeling was enough to finally make her tears fall.